Monday, August 4, 2008

Mac is Coming to Town

Mac vs. PC Holiday Ad

Jonathan VillarrealMarcus HammondsJohn Kroeger

The ad here is your typical Mac vs. PC ad with a few nostalgic twists to it. First, they’re singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town, which has been a Christmas classic for who knows how many decades and is recognizable by just about anyone. Second is the style of the ad itself, which is very similar to those stop-motion type Christmas movies like Rudolph (you know, the one with the elf who wanted to be a dentist).

The nostalgia in this ad seems to be reminding people of the holidays and the goodness often associated with Christmas (Santa and carols). The target audience could be anyone, but is probably young to middle-aged adults (those who are most likely to purchase and use a Mac) who probably grew up watching the stop-motion Christmas movies like Rudolph.

Rather than tell you why a Mac is better than a PC like previous ads, this ad associates Mac with many positive things (like holidays and carols). The ad suggests that by owning a Mac, you will be taken back to not only childhood days (when you probably saw the Rudolph movie) but also the good times often associated with Christmas. Also, when you think of Santa, you think of presents and gifts. So by associating a Mac with Santa Claus coming to town, it may be signifying that owning a Mac is like Santa paying you a visit. The ad also shows PC being an idiot by ruining the song. If there is a lack being played on here, it seems to be coolness because as any of these Mac ads show, the PC certainly lacks it.

5 comments:

I really like this add too and like you said, it has nostalgia written all over it. The use of christmas carols might be considered a typical move for the holiday season because they have such powerful resonance with people, especially "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." But this ad uses nostalgia in a really clever way that helps cut through the clutter and still fits within the framework of their original Mac campaign. Mac still plays it cool, just singing the song, and PC starts trying way too hard, just like always. Of course, PC ends up making a fool of himself by the end. They even change the lyrics to make it more entertaining and more suited for their product. It's genius, but the stop motion tribute really sends it home. The animation looks just like the originals, but with a crisp new edge to keep them modern. This is the beauty of the ad because those holiday specials were watched, or at least seen, by anyone old enough to buy a computer today. Plus, even if the audience hadn't seen these particular shows, the style still has a hearty christmas quality that will refresh any pleasant christmas memory that the viewer may have, just like the song. All around it's awesome, but then again, Mac kinda has that reputation.

Yes the nostalgia is obvious with the Christmas theme. I remember those types of Christmas movies so I am sure I could be a potential consumer for this ad. Actually if there was a PC at the end of the commercial I wouldn't have known the difference. It could have been used for either I think because then PC could have just been trying to be funny about it which is what I thought it was originally. Good one though

I think that this commercial is a very good example of ads using nostalgia as a marketing strategy. I know i personally think back to my childhood when I see those stop motion cartoons and the Christmas carols bring it all together. Like you mentioned these cartoons and carols have been around for ages so I'm sure this appeals to a wide age range of consumers as well.

pI love this commercial. This ad creates a since of nostalgia by bringing the viewer back to their childhood. It brought a smile to my face. The fact that he says buy a PC and not a Mac attracts the viewer wonder what was actually said. The fact that it tells you not to buy the mac makes you want to buy it.

This commercial really does bring us back to a time when we would crowd around the television during the holiday season and watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Such bad animation but still takes us back to when we didn't have a care in the world...and we can have that feeling again if we buy a Mac...I have that feeling right now...LOL.